Even though Neal Santos is mostly a local guy, with contributions to Philly Magazine, and working closely with a PR company that handles a majority of the Philly area restaurants, Neal’s work has been seen in Food & Wine for a special series of Philly Food, and has helped to create commercial campaigns for Stella Artois. He mentions that they like to include food pairings with the beer photos, to help tell a better story.
Neal admits that until recently he didn’t understand the importance of tabletop. After working closely with his restaurant clients, his attention to detail and interest in food and hospitality has been called a self-proclaimed “obsession”. According to Santos, “I like learning about everything. I was always curious about where stuff comes from. Growing up a city kid, I didn’t know where vegetables came from. Knowing all these things about food prep and where food comes from helps me understand why Chefs compose with different colors and flavors. My natural curiosity for life has really played well with my job in photography and my background in journalism.” 
Neal continues, “He had this space he transformed from vacant lot into growing space. It’s changed my way of life. For the past five years we’ve been cultivating this farm. Chickens, bees, turkeys, rabbits. You can imagine this all in an urban environment. A bunch of community members, friends, and my partner and I have come together to transform a space into a vibrant community of people that come together for a market. It helps to understand the agriculture life cycles. It helps me understand further what I do, and I can hand that information over to my clients and be really appreciative even more of what I can do for my clients.” 
“I think everyone involved in the restaurant process knows how important tabletop is. They know that the plating is really important for the food. I’ve seen some plating at restaurants that is specific for an individual dish. It can change peoples experiences. Sitting down at a really nice restaurant can change someones view of food. I did a program recently where Philly school kids can learn how to draw still lifes of food. They compose the different food and draw what they see. It teaches kids to respect the art and the food. At the end of the lesson, they go and have the dining experience. They like the idea of being treated to a nice meal and nice experience. It shows how important the tabletop and guest dining experience really is. I personally didn’t understand it until recently, but I have a huge reverence for it.” 
When he is shooting his own work, his guidelines are pretty simple –
“I always try to find really good light. I try to imagine myself as a consumer,” says Santos as he describes his thought process when setting a stage for a new photography project. “When the chef brings out a dish I try to frame it in a way that is inviting to the viewer. I like doing pristine and clean images, but depending on the type of restaurant and client is, they might like that, or they may want a more messy ‘lived-in’ type of scene. A napkin might be crumpled, or a wine glass half empty. Whatever visual cues that work well with the restaurant, I tweak it to make it more approachable. Whether it’s being a little bit clean, a little bit messy, I want it to feel timeless. If someone is looking at one of my photos a hundred years from now, I’d like them to feel a part of that frame. I try not to be fancy with technology. I find good light, good food, the good chef, and try to translate that through the photo.”
You can learn about Neal Santos by going here: www.NealSantos.com
– Sean C. Dackermann
